SEA Legislation

SEA Directive

The SEA Directive - Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment - requires that an environmental assessment is carried out of certain plans and programmes which are likely to have significant effects on the environment.

Eleven sectors are specified in the SEA Directive. Competent Authorities (plan/programme makers) must subject specific plans and programmes within these sectors to an environmental assessment where they are likely to have significant effects on the environment. (See SEA Sectors for further information).

The eleven sectors are:

Agriculture

Forestry

Fisheries

Energy

Industry

Transport

Waste management

Water management

Telecommunications

Tourism, Town and Country Planning or Landuse.

National Legislation

In Ireland, the SEA Directive has been transposed into national legislation through:

The 2011 amending SEA Regulations reduced the mandatory SEA population threshold for Local Area Plans from 10,000 to 5,000 persons. Local Area Plans covering an area greater than 50 sq km also now require mandatory SEA. Below these thresholds, Local Area Plans are required to be screened for SEA.

Circular PSSP6/2011 issued by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to all planning authorities in 2011 clarifies the requirements for SEA in relation to land-use plans and the statutory bodies to be consulted.